The present invention relates to a grinding machine, and more particularly to a grinding machine which has a work station capable of translating along and rotating on a horzontal plane and has a grinding wheel capable of translating along the normal line of the horizontal plane and rotating on a vertical plane.
Conventional gear grinding machines all utilize mechanical equipments, e.g. the gear, the angle-dividing plate, the base circle block, the steel band, the connecting rod, the cam . . . etc., in order to manipulate the relative motion between the grinding wheel thereon and a work piece. Owing to the nature of those mechanical equipments, it is imperative that a different work piece demand that the fittings of those equipments need be adjusted or replaced, such as a different tooth number of a gear calls for the replacing of the angle dividing plate or an angle dividing gear; a different pressure angle of the gear demands the changing of the grinding wheel; a different gear makes necessary that the base circle block is replaced and the tension of the steel band is adjusted; a different helical angle of the gear results in the compulsory replacement or adjustment of the guiding mechanism; and modifying the tooth shape or lead of a gear needs the replacing of a cam. Thus, it is rather complicated to set working conditions for a new work piece in the conventional grinding machine.
Furthermore, due to the fact that an initial setting cannot have a work piece achieved a desired accuracy, it is necessary to experimentally grind a tooth of a gear or a work piece and thereafter to send the work piece to a gear measuring device to find out errors thereon. And then, in accordance with empirical judgements, necessary parameters are amended in order to set the above equipments under a new working conditions. Such procedures, which must be repititiously operated until the gear or the tooth in experimental grind ahieves a desired accuracy, not only are time-consuming but also require skilled technicians.
Since the grinding machine and measuring device are conventionally separately built, the work piece must repeatedly be mounted on one of them and then be detached therefrom to be mounted on the other one. Such a procedure is (1) laborious, particularly ture for a heavy work piece; and (2) is prone to ensue errors since the work piece is not exactly clamped at the same point when grinded and measured.
The conventional gear grinding machine and gear measuring device can only work on an involute gear (having involute teeth) and cannot work on a non-involute gear, e.g. a cycloidal gear.
Conventionally, a specific cam demands a specifically designed grinding machine. In addition, it is a matter of course that the above problems encountered in gear grinding will be more seriously encountered in cam grinding.
Conventionally, either a gear grinding machine or a cam grinding machine can only adopt either the generating type or the shaping type. The former type means that with a basic geometrical shape of rim of the grinding wheel, a particular curved surface in space can be generated by a specific relative movement between the grinding wheel and the work piece. The latter means that after the rim of the grinding wheel has been dressed to a particular shape, upon working, it is necessary to feed the grinding wheel and to divide the angle on the work piece only.
For the above reasons, diverse single-function grinding machines can be found in the market places with each machine having the following disadvantages that: (1) it has a narrow working range; (2) is requires a well-trained operation; (3) it is laborious to set working conditions for the first work piece; (4) the accuracy of the work piece is user-dependent which results in a high variational characteristic of the accuracy of the work piece worked; and (5) the quality control of the work piece is thus difficult.
It is therefore attempted by the applicant to deal with the above situations encountered by the prior art.